Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

Cancer can affect many organs of the body. One of the most common cancers is the thyroid cancer. Thyroid is a gland in the shape of a butterfly that is located below your Adam's apple at the base of your neck. This organ produces hormones that regulate your weight, blood pressure, body temperature and heart rate. It is becoming a common disease, the worldwide over. Earlier it was possible to detect it in its beginning stages but today, with the help of modern technology, it is possible to detect the thyroid cancer symptoms and cure it.

Detection of Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

This disease does not show any early signs or symptoms but as the cancer grows, you may find difficulty in swallowing and swollen lymph nodes may be observed in your neck region. You may also feel pain in your throat and neck. At times when you touch your neck you may find a lump through the skin. If you observe any of these signs, it will be safer to visit a doctor. The cause of this type of cancer is unknown, but the cells usually develop from the tumor, they are abnormal cells and are able to get into the nearby tissues and spread all over the body. Though thyroid cancer symptoms are not generally visible, but if you observe any of the above disorders it can be clinically diagnosed.

The treatment and prognosis of this disease can only be conducted after its type is determined. Thyroid cancer may be the papillary type which is a very, common type of cancer. Mostly 80% of the cases diagnosed are the papillary type. The other one goes by the name of Follicular which includes Hurthle cell cancer. The Medullary thyroid cancer may be sporadic or may be associated with genetic syndromes that include tumors in other glands. The anaplastic type is very difficult to treat as it is aggressive and finally the thyroid lymphoma which attacks the immune system cells. None of these types reveal thyroid cancer symptoms at the initial stage.

Cancer of Thyroid Can Be Avoided

The risk of this type of cancer can be avoided if you are not exposed to high levels of radiation treatment for the neck or the head or you are working at a nuclear power plant or are involved in an accident while testing weapons. If the family has a history of goiter which is a non cancerous enlargement of the thyroid and if you are associated with inherited genetic syndromes, then you should be very careful and get yourself tested for this disease. The only problem about this disease is that thyroid cancer symptoms are very difficult to detect.

Once you have your thyroid removed, there are chances that the cancer can recur, even after more than ten years of the cancer treatment, because thyroid cancer symptoms can be detected only when the disease reaches at a later stage. Usually it recurs in the lymph nodes in the neck, or in the lungs or the bones.